The Jewish and Israeli Film Festival takes place at the Jewish Community Center in Allentown.

Amy LongsdorfSpecial to The Morning Call

“Ida” is as austere and involving as an early Ingmar Bergman masterpiece.

This year's Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, "Ida" is as austere and involving as an early Ingmar Bergman masterpiece.

Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski ("My Summer of Love"), the stunningly photographed, black-and-white drama centers on a young Polish nun (Agata Trzebuchowska) in the early 1960s who, on the eve of taking her vows, discovers from an estranged aunt (Agata Kulesza), that she is a Jew.

Together, the two women embark on a journey through rural Poland to find out what happened to their family in the Holocaust. Structured like a thriller, "Ida" doubles as a character study of two women and the different ways they cope with a series of harrowing discoveries.

"Ida," which screens at 7 p.m. May 6 at the Allentown Jewish Community Center as part of the 20th Annual Jewish and Israeli Film Festival, epitomizes the quality of movies unreeling at this year's bash at the center and Muhlenberg College.

Selected by a dozen or so committee members, the five films are largely a challenging bunch of stunners that deal with provocative themes of identity, betrayal and faith.

The festival kicks off Sunday with the offbeat musical "Cupcakes" and winds down on June 6 with the documentary "Beneath The Helmet." In between, three additional features will unreel, including "Ida," the spy documentary "The Green Prince" and "Under The Same Sun," a thriller about the Israeli/Palestinian divide.

"We really strive to include a good variety of films," says coordinator Monica Friess. "In previous years, we have been a bit heavy on Holocaust-themed movies … but this year we have films about Israeli politics and Jewish culture and [an entry] that's pure entertainment as well a movie that deals with the Holocaust."

Kicking off the bash is the peppy "Cupcakes," which screens at 7 p.m.. on Sunday and includes a pre-film offering of wine and popcorn, and a post-film serving of — what else? — cupcakes.

"It's such a fun, happy movie," Friess says. "You will walk away with a smile on your face."

In a rave review, Variety praised the musical, calling the candy-colored songfest "an endearingly goofy celebration of the right to be yourself."

Set in present day Tel Aviv, the movie follows the adventures of six neighbors who, one evening, sing a tune together to cheer up a depressed friend. Their performance winds up being filmed, going viral and leading to a spot on the next Unisong international singing contest.

With the exception of the charismatic Ofer (Ofer Schecter), all of the pals have good reasons for not wanting to go public with their act. But eventually they all agree to compete on the TV show.

The absurdity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is put under the microscope in "Under The Same Sun," a look at Israeli businessman Shaul (Yossi Marshak) and Palestinian exec Nizer (Ali Suliman) who attempt to team up to bring solar energy to the West Bank. The movie unreels at 7:30 p.m. April 12 at Moyer Hall on the Muhlenberg campus.

For the two moguls, just meeting to discuss their venture is a tricky proposition once Nizer is denied entrance into Israel. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film smartly illustrates "how ridiculous the situation is for two businessmen who want to make a living while constructing a better future."

Friess says "Under The Same Sun" is likely to provoke a fair share of discussion among viewers. "I think it will get people talking about interesting issues," says Friess. "And hopefully viewers will gain a new perspective."

The third film is "The Green Prince," which screens at 7 p.m. April 26 at at the JCC. If you're a fan of spy yarns, you'll want to see this fascinating documentary about Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a high-ranking Hamas leader, who worked as an informant for Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency.

The film alternates between interviews with Yousef and sessions with Gonen Ben Yitzhak, the Israeli agent who recruited Yousef and wound up saving his life. Visually, "The Green Prince" is nothing special but as a look at an increasingly tangled web of real-life betrayals, impossible choices and deadly secrets, it reigns supreme.

,The festival finishes up with "Beneath The Helmet," a documentary that chronicles what it is like to be a member of the Israeli military. For citizens of Israel, there's no getting out of serving in the armed forces; the law requires both male and females 18 year olds to do a stint.

"Beneath the Helmet," which screens at the JCC at 7 p.m. June 3, showcases eight months in the lives of five Israeli high school grads who are drafted into the Israeli Defense Forces. Even though the soldiers can go home on weekends, army life forces them all to grow up fast.

As is usually the case with the Jewish and Israeli Film Festival, viewers will have the opportunity to participate in talks that follow a number of the movies.

The Rev. Peter Pettit will introduce "Under The Same Sun" and moderate a panel discussion following the film. Rabbi Seth Phillips will do similar honors for "The Green Prince," and an as-yet-unnamed representative from "Beneath The Helmet" will be on hand to discuss the documentary.

"I think the discussions add to the experience," Friess says. "I get so much positive feedback from viewers who were happy they stayed [for the panels]. Questions they didn't think of were brought up, and they realized deeper meanings in the films."